Stories from the Road

Stories from the Road
Rome, Italy
September 23, 2016

So what do the Italians serve to us Americans in their hotels? Today I had coffee with hot milk, orange juice, and delicious, fresh roles along with some cold cuts and a couple of soft-boiled eggs. I cooked the eggs myself on an immersion machine, which I have only seen in Europe. All in all it was a great breakfast! We are relaxing in our room now, before walking to the Coliseum.

We decided at some point to get on a “hop on hop off” bus. It was an educational ride. After Nero burned down Rome, he couldn’t take the heat and had to blame someone, so he said the Christians did it. That led to a lot of executions. He was an irresponsible man in power who blamed those he saw as vulnerable for his shortcomings. It does have a familiar ring to it.

I also learned that the Trevi Fountain takes in about $5000 a day. They drain the water for an hour a day to collect the coins, which are given to charity. It is a very creative arrangement. Later we shared a pizza and mixed salad at a neighborhood restaurant. Our waiter was warm and friendly. He made the food even taste better.

Dinner last night was at a nice restaurant near the Trevi Fountain. Vicki had a tuna salad, and I had lasagna.  Again we had a friendly waiter whom I liked. Today we’ll walk across Tiber River to the Trastevere section of Rome.  It is Bohemian area with fun shops and restaurants. Some years ago I wandered into a church there, where a wedding was taking place. The priest was leading the attendees in singing Ave Maria. It was a moment in time.

Have a good day.